Some questions i have regarding my new degus :)

[katta94]

Five Days ago i bought 2 male degus ( from the pet store).. they're under 6 months old. 
I'am normaly against buying  pets from pet stores.. but it was impossible to get degus otherwise
and this pet store seem to take good care of their animals..
The only down side is that their cage was small there.. ( the store also was small)
However the animals there had clean cages and looked healthy..
and they don't stay there long before someone buys them ( i was told...they come from privat breeders)

Anway the taming progress want to quick..they where used to humans..so the only thing they where not used to was beeing touching..and it took around 1 day for them to trust me..
they're bit cazy since.. when i open the cage they can jump straight at you can even try push themselves out..they love beeing outside and explore.
I let them run around 3 times a day ( outside the cage 2-3hrs a day)..they choose themselves when to get inside ..(when they both run back into their cage and stay there)
i have started to train them to stay on my hand..and beeing touched, last night one stod on my head ( while i was laying on floor) and started to digg and "pluck" my hair XD

Some information to understand the situation:

Right now they're in a temporarily cage ( the biggest i could find - a chinchilla cage ) ..
I'm builing a cage too... which will be the main cage.. when done.( but it will take a week to get done...cuz i miss some matriels) 


The main cage will be ( the one i'm building - 70% done):
180 - Tall
90 - Width
40 - Depth
There will be 3 floors for them to use. and go between

However the temporarily cage isn't that big...

97cm - Tall
77 - Width
50 -Depth

I'm bit stressed ..cuz i think the temporarily cage is too small ..
since they are always so active..even with 3hrs outside the cage,..+ they have running weel..which they use a lot....they just never get enough it seems xD
i try to keep them entertained..by puting new stuff into the cage often and let them sniff on everything i do..they're curious on anything.. and likes to observe us..when we do something..
I keep the cage in same room we are at all times..(bedroom at night and livingroom at day) - the cage stands on a tabel.
They make a lot of "bubble noises when they're socially interacting with each other and run around"

The Questions:

How long can i keep them there (temporarily cage)?

Cuz i'm not able to finish the main cage before i get the last materials ( which i must wait 8 days for..cuz don't have cash for it atm ( before that)) :*( 
I feel bad for geting them ealier..but just could'nt  wait..and i felt sorry for them at the store..cuz there they had like a little plastic box to stay..

- How can i tell if my degus are happy? 
- When does degus become cleaner?..

My degus poop and pee everywhere in the cage.. they don't have a spot.... maybe because they're young? ( clean it everday..on the upper levels)
however they don't pee/poo when outside..


I want the best possible care for my degus..>_<
I have never had degus before, so this is very new to me..

i give them herbs pellets,hay,vitamins,freash water everyday
. 
they have calcium stone and running weel, apple tree in their cage...
they dont seem to care to chew on cardboard - paper...
They get dust bath when outside ( daily)


/ Sorry for spelling errors.. english isn't my mother language..>.<

[bouncy]

Hi!

First of all, congratulations! It sounds like the pet store had a lot of time to care for their animals and handle them!

Well done for making a cage for them. Before you begin, please read here:
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendations

After all, if you're going to build a cage, you want to get it right. As you'll see, the key for degus is running space. In the same section, there's also a thread about building your own cage. It gives very good advice on protecting surfaces from wee, trying to keep poop in the cage, and protecting edging from teeth!

Degus are very territorial, and the more territory, the better. Initially, they WILL wee wverywhere. This is their way of marking or claiming their new home. Don't forget it's all very new to them. It will settle down, but they will likely still wee as they run out of the cage. Mine also come out every day for a run, and constantly wee as they run. You will find poo harder to deal with. Luckily, it is hard and dry, but they do like to flick or throw it EVERYWHERE! You will find poo in the furthest and strangest of places.

I'm sure your degus will be fine in their temporary home for a couple of weeks

Degus are like no other pet. You will have a very steep lerning curve, and there is no such thing as a silly question, so please ask anything.

In the meantime, i recommend you (and Google Translate) look at the sticky threads in each section. These are the ones that have a red drawing pin on the left. These contain the key information for good degu care in that section.

Good luck!

P.S. We LOVE to see photos of degus

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum!

First things first, your English is good, so please don't worry about that.

As they came from a pet shop, please check that they are both males, mistakes are often made with sexing degus and you need to make sure they are both the same. I was sold a 12month old boy before Christmas, who was actually a 7 month old girl!

Your new cage sounds great. They will be fine in the temporary one for a few days while you finish getting it built as they are getting plenty of free time outside the cage.

I would suggest reading through the sticky threads in each section of the forum so you can get an idea of what they need, what to expect as they grow etc.

Degus do poo a lot! And they wee to scent mark their territory so again that's perfectly normal. There is no need to clean their cage everyday, just spot clean, as you may remove all their scent markers and accidentally reset the hierarchy within the group. Territory is very important to degus and they have a complicated social structure.

If you have any questions, please ask and we will try our best to advise, there are really no silly questions when it comes to degus.

[katta94]

Thanks a lot of the answers ..

in their cage where they're now..there is no bedding oppunity at the higher floors.. so i can't have bedding there to absord the pee ( and that's where they pee lol)..

i consider geting some paiper i can lay out.. cuz it smells pretty much when you don't have anyting to absord it.. and it's kinda a issue for me..cuz it can attract rats and mouse..

but again it will probably be solved once they get their main cage ready  ^_^

About the sexes yeah, they're both male.. i have looked under them ^^

Here are some more info about the main cage:



A drawing of what i plan to do..+ img of the cage in work..
The metal will be covered with safe wood on the inside ( thin - so they don't take much space) ..cuz i don't want the degus to have acces to the metal framwork..( + there shall be no sharp edges)
From the first floor (digging room)  there will be plexiglas...so that they can have a lot of bedding there ( there will be air holes/shafts - a lot )
i also plan to make doors in all the floors.. to make it easy to clean + take them out..

[bouncy]

Excellent! I also have a cage that is made from a shelving unit.

Can I please make a couple of recommendations?

* Cover the shelves with something like vinyl flooring. Even with bedding, the wee will soak into the board and make it smell. Covering it first means it will not smell and will be easy to wipe clean

* Try to make each level as full as possible - perhaps cut the end from each board to create the access

* Mesh on the outside is great. Is the wood on the inside to make each floor a tray? If so, this is a good idea - you will appreciate bedding on each level to stop the smell, and it will stop the bedding from coming out from the mesh.

* If you are not making a tray, some extra panels would help keep the poo and bedding inside the cage.

* When you make the doors on the front, try to make them as big as possible - you will appreciate it when it's time to clean. Personally, I made a wooden frame to bolt on the front of the shelves. Within this frame, I made a full door for each level. Because it is fixed to the outside, they cannot chew it and escape! I have included a photo for you!

[moletteuk]

They will be fine in the temporary cage for a couple of weeks, it's more important to get their long term home right.

I would try to keep the spaces in the new cage flexible because very often the degus won't agree with you about what activity they should do in each space. It will be beneficial if you can see how they use the space and then make adaptions around them so that they can make the most of the space. I wouldn't sacrifice a full level for the climbing room, see if you can find branches that will just slot through a hole in the shelf. Since the cage is a bit narrower than we like to recommend, think about flow of movement up and down the cage, so ideally place ramps in a spiral up the cage so they can run between floors easily.